Truck knocks down power pole, lands in pond

A Talmage woman escaped largely unscathed Thursday afternoon after her truck knocked down a power pole and landed in a pond off Old River Road.

The incident began around 2:20 p.m. Dec. 13 when her 1997 Ford Ranger pick-up truck was headed south on Old River Road and hit the power pole just south of Mill Creek Road, then grazed an oak tree before landing in an irrigation pond on Beckstoffer Vineyards.

A witness who asked not to be identified said he was working outside, heard the collision and saw the truck go into the water.

"It was airborne," he said, pointing out that there were no tire marks on the road near the pond. He said when he ran over to help, the woman had already scrambled out of her car and was trying to get up the bank. "She is really fortunate."

A license plate was propped up against the oak tree and bubbles could be seen coming up from the pond where the vehicle sank. William Palmer said his wife, Sally Noris, 58, had been driving the truck and their one-year-old pug dog was still inside it.

"It could have been a lot worse," Palmer said, describing his wife as "dazed, but OK."

Noris was taken to Ukiah Valley Medical Center for treatment.

Ukiah Valley Fire District, the Ukiah Fire Department, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office and several tow trucks responded to the scene. Two hours after the crash, however, the vehicle had not been pulled out of the pond as the drivers were waiting for divers to arrive to help hook the sunken vehicle up to a tow truck.

Power lines fell across the road and crews from Pacific Gas & Electric responded to cut the electricity to the area. They said they would have to replace the power pole and estimated that the power would be out for "most of the evening."

The CHP was still investigating the scene and no information on the cause of the collision was immediately available.

Justine Frederiksen can be reached at udjjf@pacific.net, on Twitter @JustFrederiksen or at 468-3521.